奥运选手
Erika Reineke ’17 loves competition—whether it’s racing a sailboat through choppy waters at international regattas or spiking a volleyball in a mud-filled parking lot at 电子游戏软件—and this summer she’s headed to the biggest contest of her life.
作为美国的一员.S. 国家帆船队, Reineke will race in the Paris Olympic Games, 这是她追求了15年的目标. 她的事件, 女子划船比赛, 比赛将于8月1日在马赛开幕, a southern port city on the Mediterranean Sea. Reineke and her teammates have held multiple training camps there over the past year, with two more scheduled before the Games begin July 28.
“What gives you the best shot at a medal as a sailor is being extremely well-rounded in a variety of conditions,雷内克解释道. “The more you get to know a venue and its trends, the better you’re set up to create winning strategies for the races.”
照片:Allison Chenard，美国帆船队
The conditions at Marseille are known for being challenging, which should favor sailors with Reineke’s level of experience. 现在30岁, the Florida native has been sailing since the age of 8, when her parents signed her up for lessons at their local yacht club. 最初的犹豫, Reineke became a breakout star in the sport, bringing home three ILCA Youth World Championships and competing in the 2012 U.S. 还在高中的时候就参加了奥运会选拔赛.
在电子游戏软件, she majored in Environmental Studies while winning four individual national championships and NEISA Conference Sailor of the Year honors. Over her four years on the Heights (she took a year off to compete in the 2016 Olympic trials), Reineke learned how to “thrive in the chaos” created by New England’s tricky wind and water conditions, and how to be more disciplined in her approach to sports and life.
“I came in as a free-spirited freshman with no plan or structure and graduated gaining the ability to goal set and execute,她回忆道。. “I wouldn’t be in the position I am today without my BC teammates or Coach [Greg] Wilkinson.”
After BC, Reineke doubled down on her Olympic dream, training hard for the 2020 trials. 当她没有进入球队时, she took the summer off from sailing completely, staying with her parents in landlocked Colorado. 她终于回来了, 但在不同的船级, trading her signature Laser sailboat for a two-person skiff. Sailing with a partner provided the perspective shift she needed, reminding her how fun it was to compete at the highest level. In 2022, when her coach suggested she give the Laser another try, Reineke felt ready.
Reineke is one of 13 sailors representing the U.S. 在巴黎奥运会上. 图片:美国帆船队
Heading into her fourth Olympic trials in February, Reineke was sailing better than she ever had. She’d recently won a gold medal at the 2023 Pan Am Games, bouncing back from an ankle injury to win seven of her 10 races, 她感到注意力集中，一切尽在掌握之中. 的赛船会, 在迈阿密举行, 特色是8天的激烈竞争, with Reineke and Texas-based sailor Charlotte Rose battling it out for the top spot. 在最后一天, Reineke overcame a four-point deficit to be crowned the winner, 在奥运会代表队中占有一席之地.
“When I crossed the finish line in the final race a ton of emotions came over me,”她说。. “This has been a goal I’ve been working towards for the last 15 years. 梦想成真了.”
The Olympics require a higher level of preparation than any competition Reineke has taken part in. In addition to the physical aspect (singlehanded sailing requires athletes to be constantly shifting position while maintaining their balance in rough conditions), and the mental (strategy plays a huge role in professional races, 时长50-60分钟), there are added logistical concerns: if an Olympic athlete bypasses the media area (known as the “mixed zone”) after a race, 分数被加到他们的计分线上.
Reineke trusts her coaching staff to help her optimize her performance. 为了奥运会, that team will include longtime coach Erik Bowers as well as BC’s Wilkinson, who has remained close with Reineke since her graduation. 但当她出海的时候, battling her competitors as well as whatever Mother Nature throws her way, 她必须相信自己. Races aren’t generally won off the starting line, so Reineke has learned to be patient while looking for her next attacking move.
“在我们所有的种族中, there’s a pivotal point when you make a decision to hedge your bets on a specific strategy,”她说。. “Identifying that moment and setting yourself up to execute it—that’s what separates the amateurs from the veterans.”